Jan 7, 2013

Hot and spicy cauliflower bites, battered and baked and smothered with hot sauce. Serve this with skinny blue cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side for a hot and spicy meatless appetizer.

I stumbled on a vegan version of this recipe on Peta and thought they looked good so I made some slight changes and gave it a try. I tested it out on some of the cauliflower-averse people in my home, and they gave it a thumbs up.

One thing to note, if you are watching your sodium, you'll have to look
for a lower sodium hot sauce, or use half of the sauce. Frank's is my
favorite for buffalo sauce, but it's not low in sodium. If anyone knows
of a lower sodium buffalo sauce, kindly share!

Looks really nice. Two questions if I may.. 1. Do you think I could replace the 1 cup all purpose flour with almond or coconut flour to make it wheat free? 2. I also have a bag of frozen cauliflower florets, do I need to adapt the recipe in some way for frozen? Thanks!

You truly are wonderful! We just had an argument over how boring cauliflower is and then here you are to save the day again! I'm not a great cook but every recipe I make of yours turns out great. Thank you!

I made these a couple of weeks ago for a party (saw them on Tasty Kitchen) and they were awesome. I used milk instead of water in the flour mixture, and 2/3 c of Sriracha (for 2 heads of cauliflower) because it's the only hot sauce we have. It was *awesome.*

My daughter got this recipe from PETA a few months ago and I have been eating it ever since. I dont know how I lived for so long with out it, lol. Prior to this I was not really a cauliflower fan, now I eat a head every couple days.

I made it with frozen cauliflower (just thawed it in the microwave for a couple of minutes) and then coated it with the flour mixture, and put it in the oven for the 20 minutes. It was delicious, will definitely make again!

The reply button refuses to work for me! Colette!!!! Will you please post how the broccoli works? Grocery day isn't for a little while, but I have broccoli here.... Trying this is already adventurous of me, tweaking it right off the bat is not one of my strong points...Thanks!

I am definitely putting cauliflour on the grocery list either way! This looks awesome.I'd also like to add that I love you put the "old" points in here. Once the Christmas goodies are all gone (so next week, maybe?) I'm going back on them! Thank you for that.

I wonder if it's just my web browser or something since it used to work. As long as I can still see your recipes, that's all I care about! :) Just made the chicken enchilada soup this weekend.. yuuuuuum.

Love this idea! Just read the post regarding your ideas on cauliflower pizza crust... I would love to see what you come up with there as well! My question is why hasn't the food network hunted you down, made you an offer you cannot refuse, and made you your own hit show! I know I'd watch it religiously.

We just finished these, they were very tasty! We like super spicy, so I added a ton of cayenne to the batter and used just regular hot sauce that I added butter spray and lemon juice to. They will absolutely be happening again in our home.

I had been using a similar recipe that used a lot of oil and was trying to figure out how to cut that out and how many weight watchers points it would be....you read my mind!! Can't wait to try your version. Also to make it GLUTEN FREE...rice flour works great!

I made these last night and they were great! I am thinking of trying other "wing" flavors with these next time. Like teriyaki or bbq. I think with the consistency of the cauliflower any sauce of a similar texture would work well. GREAT recipe. Even my husband who doesn't like cauliflower said he would eat these instead of wings (but told me I can't tell his friends that! ha!).

Whoa....OMG! Your photo's of these babies make them jump off the page (that's a good thing!). No wonder everyone is freaking out! I'm def on board, and will be attempting this, this weekend. I love checking out what delish dish you'll be showcasing....real highlight!!*Think I'll try the beer thing too, using a low carb version-thanks Kim ;)

We love Frank's hot sauce! My husband puts it in bround beef with fresh salsa and chili powder and we call them "street tacos" (suburban style). We eat it over corn tortillas with lots of cilantro, avocado and lime. But it looks like we might have found a new favorite way to eat Frank's. Thanks Gina!

Tobasco has a Buffalo Sauce that is low in sodium, however I prefer the taste of Franks! I just made this last night and put it on top of a pizza with celery and onion. Delicious!! Never going back to chicken!

Gina@Skinnytaste...I made this for a holiday party this past season & was a huge hit! In regards to lower sodium sauce, look at Bellas at Whole Fookds, I did not use but I believe it may be lower in sodium than Franks

Oh. My. Gosh. This is the most amazing, creative cauliflower recipe ever!!! My husband and son, neither cauliflower fans, were CRAZY about this! They dipped it in lowfat ranch, but I loved your blue cheese recipe. Will be fixing often!

I made this for dinner and it was sooooooo good! Even my non-vegetarian husband loved it. We will be making this often! I used Crystal Hotsause (Lousiana hot sauce) and added some Old Bay Seasoning to the flour. I baked it for longer- about 40 minutes actually. I think it was because I used frozen cauliflower - which worked great by the way because the flour really stuck to it after dipping in water - this was a big winner. I am happy to have a vegetarian "wing option" for me now. Thanks!!!-Jen Lovett

I wondered if you have ever considered or tried to make these "pizza" like using tomato sauce in lieu of hot sauce and then adding some Italian spices? I think a little low fat Parmesan Cheese when serving would be yummy, too.Thoughts?

I bet these are great! But let me tell you about a little mistake I made.....I'm in England right now with no access to Franks :( But when I was in the states for Christmas, I brought back a bottle of tapatio with me to accompany all the ingredients for Mexican food that I brought with me. The scoville rating of tapatio is 3,000, while Franks is only 450. Tapatio is not meant to be consumed in such large quantities (at least not for this white girl!) I guess liking a few splashes of tapatio on my eggs is not the same as making a sauce from just that! Thank god I have points left for a glass of milk!

I tried these, but used BBQ sauce (about 1/4 cup) mixed with about 1 tsp siracha sauce. They were good. Actually forgot to add the butter, so then fried them with the 1 tbsp of butter after they were cooked to get them "crispier". I loved them...

Making this right now and since I have a 4 year old who isn't too crazy with spicy sauce so I'm making half in frank's red hot chili lime sauce and other half in BBQ sauce for my daughter... so looking foward to this!

This was the bomb diggity! I LOVED it. It was one of those that while I was making it, I'm like, hmmm...I hope it is edible. And then I put the first piece in my mouth, and wanted to gobble the whole tray. I also made the blue cheese dressing. That is a must. I found Franks Buffalo Hot Sauce. ;) Thank you. Please keep 'em coming!! I am turning everyone I know on to you, from cashiers at my grocery store, to co-workers, to family...

For jalapeno salsa, chop peppers and garlic in food processor. For pourable sauce, you'll have to seed them first and then puree in processor. Add vinegar to cover and stir in sweetener. Bring to full rolling boil, put in clean sterile mason jars, and process in boiling water bath 20 minutes. The result will be nearly identical to a sambal or sriracha, depending on texture.

Just made these. They were really tasty. I don't think I did the batter right though. I was surprised the batter was so thick. I was wondering if I did something wrong. I dipped each floret individually into the batter to coat? Is that correct? I wasn't sure if it should be a thick coating or thin. I had batter leftover so maybe I didn't put enough on.

Just finished making these. I generally do NOT like cauliflower. But I do LOVE Frank's Hot Sauce. Still, I had very low expectations for these. I REALLY do NOT like cauliflower. But my love of Frank's won out. YUM! I skipped the butter. I'm guessing it would have helped in browning a bit, but I didn't miss the butter. I also added a teaspoon of seasoned salt to the batter. I had a small amount of batter left over after coating and baking the cauliflower, so instead of pouring the Frank's on them directly, I mixed the Franks with the batter, re-coated all of them to get a more even coating, and put them back in the oven for about 10 minutes. Turned out great! My son loved them without sauce on them. Definitely will make again.

Hi - Can't wait to try this recipe. I am wondering if anyone has tried this recipe using fresh mushrooms... and instead of using hot sauce, just dipping them into a nice ranch or blue cheese dressing. I might have to try this. I've always loved the deep fried mushrooms, but not the fat. Thanks for a great recipe!

thank you Gina, I did not expect this to taste so good! This is a great snack and so filling. I made the bleu cheese dressing too... great together. I'll be making this weekly. It's so good you feel like you're eating something bad.

Gina- about 99% of meals I make are from your website. I have been following you since 2008 when you first started and I have to say that might be my favorite recipe for far! My husband and I LOVE anything buffalo. I always joke that I could be a vegetarian if it wasnt for buffalo chicken but with this recipe- I could totally be a vegetarian now!

One question for you- How would you reheat this? I feel like they could get a little soggy in the microwave. Mine have a wonderful crisp to them and dont want to loose that if i microwave them. Thanks!

Has anyone tried just roasting the cauliflower straight without using the batter? I find that roasted cauliflower can get a little crispy and eliminating the flour/batter might make this recipe even healthier! Look forward to trying. Thanks

Rachael Ray did something similar, but she roasted the cauliflower in the oven with olive oil, no batter. I think I will try it both ways and judge for myself, but the one without the batter would definitely be healthier.

Made this last night and it was very good. Maybe a bit softer than I would prefer-- next time I'll see if I can get away with a shorter baking time. Rather than drizzle the hot sauce mixture I tossed it with the baked cauliflower in a bowl before returning it to the baking sheet. That way every piece is completely coated and you lose less hot sauce!

I made these tonight and I nearly didn't let anyone else have any! They are absolutely delicious! I don't like a lot of hot (just a hint of a kick is good for me), so I only used about 2 Tbs of Texas Pete hot sauce. It was perfect! I'm gonna have to go buy more cauliflower now! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I'm not sure about these. I tried them for lunch today and I could definitely still taste the cauliflower. I HATE cauliflower...if you like it, I would recommend these. I think for me it was just too far from the "original" taste (of actual buffalo chicken) to be a good alternative.

sounds DELICIOUS...havent done any research... but... I use Cornstarch and seasonings to coat my zucchini, sweet potatos, etc...to give it that "battered" feel...wonder if it would be better than flour>??? I am going to try these...YUM!!!!

sounds DELICIOUS...havent done any research... but... I use Cornstarch and seasonings to coat my zucchini, sweet potatos, etc...to give it that "battered" feel...wonder if it would be better than flour>??? I am going to try these...YUM!!!!

Tablespoon posted a recipe today that is so freaking close to yours that it made me want to accuse them of stealing it. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flatter. http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/buffalo-cauliflower-blue-cheese-yogurt-dipping-sauce-recipe/1/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=recipe-embed

Is the batter supposed to be super thick? Mine was almost unmanageable, made a huge mess trying to get it on the cauliflower, and the cauliflower ended up looking like dough blobs, whereas yours, Gina, still looks like nice cauliflower. Is there some secret trick to coating the cauliflower?

Finally got around to making these. They're WONDERFUL! They totally satisfied the craving for buffalo wings. I didn't miss the chicken at all (and I LOVE chicken). I didn't make my own dressing, but it was lovely with some Lite Ken's Steakhouse Blue Cheese. Even hubby liked it, and he is not a wing fan. He requested I make it again and try teriyaki instead of buffalo sauce. We'll see how that goes.

I also want to thank Bob Thomas for his Wing Time sauce recommendation. The Mild was just the right level of spice, and gotta love that the sauce is low-sodium and no artificial preservatives!

These are currently in my oven cooking with the sauce on them! Read the recipe days ago and was so stoked to buy cauliflower (who EVER says they are EXCITED to buy cauliflower!?) and make them:). ALSO, I just found this website and it's wonderful. So thank you to whomever has put in so much time and hard work - it's definitely appreciated.

Really want to try this, sounds so good but I do have one question. Could you use whole wheat flour instead of the white? I am cutting out white flour in my diet. Or is there another option? I saw one person say there were going to roast the cauliflower without the batter coating and add the sauce. I wondered how that turned out.

I made these the other night and they were fantastic! I served them with ranch dip made with greek yogurt. Your website has been a great help these days. I have been overweight as long as I can remember and it's a lot easier to loose weight when you have such great recipes to fall back on. Thank you thank you thank you!

I am definitely making this recipe this week. Question, is this an eat right out of the oven thing or could it sit for a bit? I only ask because I have a work party I was considering bringing this to but I'm afraid it won't hold up.

this is amazing. I made them for my son's bday party and just again tonight for a snack.

I wanted to ask if anyone has a suggestion to make them crispy on the outside. I followed the recipe to the T and they come out nice and soft, and spicy as I expect. just curious of they are supposed to be crispy base don this recipe or of I can add something. Thanks

This sounds like a dish my husband would enjoy and be able to get his buffalo fix.He can't eat the wing any longer he has developed an allergy to chicken.This way he can get the flavor of the wings without the allergic reaction,and they are health too.

Hi-Should they be crispy? I made this exactly as written, using fresh cauliflower. They were nice and crispy after the first baking--until I put on the sauce. Then they became soft, and kind of mushy. Should they be crisp? I didn't want to cook them anymore, since the cauliflower would only get softer. Love all your recipes !!!

I just made these for a super bowl party this afternoon (also the low fat creamy blue cheese dressing) and they are AWESOME! I had to force myself to stop eating them now or there would not be any for later! Delicious! I am actually thinking might be able to get my kids to eat cauliflower this way, minus the spicy sauce. Maybe with a milder, sweeter sauce! Thanks for this!

I just made this for the super bowl party and they are FANTASTIC! I used whole wheat flower and they cooked up beautifully. They were nice and crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside, like a good chicken wing. I saved a little of the sauce and poured it over the top after I took them out of the oven, and that finished them off perfectly. If you want them really crispy, just cut them into smaller pieces ( almost popcorn size, or a little bigger). My husband is super impressed. He's a huge wing fan, and NOT a cauliflower lover. GREAT RECIPE!

Made these yesterday for Super Bowl Party and they were really, really good! Instead of 1 c. flour, I used 1/2c cornmeal and 1/2 cup flour to the water and then I mixed the hot sauce/butter combo into the batter. Delicious!Thanks for such a great idea for a healthy appetizer!

I stumbled upon this recipe and it looked very promising and it did not disappoint! I actually became vegan after viewing PETA undercover videos. The only minor change I made to keep the dish vegan was to use a vegan buttery spread. After the first batch, I made a batch with broccoli; that was great, too!

I can not wait to try these. Every single recipe from your site has been a hit. My family sticks to Paleo, so I have been able to use your recipes as a base and just sub out Paleo friendly ingredients. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.

Hi- I'm the daughter of your daughter's teacher. I tried this recipe last night and it was great! It's really creative and a nice substitute for chicken wings for vegetarians. It was also relatively 'easy' to make. I did make the skinny blue cheese as well which was a great dip!

I made these last night and they were absolutely fantastic! I used Baby Rays Buffalo Wing Sauce and regular butter because its what I had, but turned out amazing and was so quick and easy! I have shared this recipe with many at work so far today!

I've made this a few times now. My family can't get enough, so I started making 2 heads of cauliflower at a time. I've been near-vegan for 6 years now and wings are one of the few things I greatly miss. I also took a batch to party full of meat lovers. Everyone LOVED this. Wings without guilt.

I think this is one of the most innovative recipes of the year. Now I need to try to turn cauliflower into BBQ ribs! lol

Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. I'm 18 and a vegetarian and I'm CONSTANTLY being picked on by my carnivore brother and sister for the "weird" foods I eat. I have made several vegetarian recipes for my family and usually they end up being untouched (except by my mom). However this one was a huge hit (I think the smell of the buffalo sauce sucked them in). Instead of using original Frank's hot sauce I used the buffalo one so the buffalo flavor would really stand out. I served them with Bolthouse Farms classic ranch salad dressing (all natural and only 45 calories for two tablespoons). Next time I plan on using rice flour to make it more healthy. Thanks Gina! P.S. wish I could show you my picture:( it looks so pretty haha

Just made these. I made only a small batch since I'm by myself, but I may have to go make some more. I used a buffalo ranch sauce from a local restaurant and had ranch dressing to use as a dip. I'm not a big fan of cauliflower, but these were fabulous!